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Leafs trade Colborne

And to add one more thing, which I've said recently, I don't like trading high picks like this without really giving them a shot.  I don't think he got a shot, even though I think when he wasn't debilitated by wrist injuries he put up some really good numbers for the Marlies.  I think it would be silly to forget all of that based on this pre-season, and for how cheap he was, he would have made a fine addition to the bottom 6.  I don't know if playing him in the bottom 6 would tell you everything you wanted to know about the player, but I don't think he would have been a liability.

Or it could be I don't like making rash decisions on a player based on pre-season games (not saying they did this or didn't, I don't know).
 
I'm happy for Colborne.  Being traded for a 4th isn't exactly ego-boosting, but he's going home, and I suspect he just needs a fresh start somewhere to live up to his potential.  I hope Calgary can use him well.

He had a really lousy preseason and just hasn't impressed me.  I don't know how much more of a shot he needs.  If the Leafs weren't in a bad cap situation I would probably be a little upset, but I just can't muster it right now.

Mr. Leaf said:
To me, this really stings because it means Toronto ends up getting basically nothing for Kaberle.  :'(
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I haven't given up on Tyler Biggs yet.
 
It's interesting how players are viewed depending on where they came from.  Bozak was 23 before he even finished school and came to the NHL, but wasn't necessarily viewed as someone who was too old to get much better.  Colborne is 23 and a lot of the talk around him is "bust" or other unflattering remarks given his age and production thus far.  One player at 23 had ~30 uninspiring games in the AHL before being promoted and was given a prime role with close to 20:00 a night and tons of PP time.  The other player was arguably better in the AHL but was never given more than a handful of games here or there, 3rd or 4th line minutes, no real PP time.

I wonder how Colborne would be viewed if he had been plucked from the minors and thrown in the middle of Kessel and given 3:30+ of PP time/game.  Probably better than he is now.

Hypotheticals are fun.
 
Hey!  I just noticed something:

The Maple Leafs will receive a fourth-round pick from the Flames; however, that pick will become a third-rounder if Colborne scores 10 goals or 35 points in the 2013-14 regular season..
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That could be possible if he gets enough minutes!  Maybe we'll get a 3rd round pick out of-

... and Calgary qualifies for the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
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Nevermind, 4th round pick it is.
 
Re the 1st rounder tag - I think it's pretty clear he should not have been a 1st rounder. He has always looked out of place out there with the leafs. Not skilled enough for the top six on this team and not physical enough for the bottom six. This was his 4th camp as a pro and he stunk. I think loosing him to waivers was not the biggest risk, having him clear and take opportunity away for others on the Marlies was. Good job getting something for him Nonis considering the wave of players we'll be seeing on waivers the next two days.
 
I would have liked to see him get a chance over Orr or McLaren. He wasn't really living up to his potential, but I'd still have rather given him a chance. I suspect Ashton has taken his place.
 
Colborne will probably be a pretty decent player down the road. Sometimes it's just a matter of being put into the right set of circumstances. Good luck to him.
 
It's crazy Colborne is gone and Orr and McLaren are still with the team.  The Leafs don't need fighters because fighting isn't allowed.  Gary Bettman said so.

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Well, like others, I'm a bit disappointed with how this turned out, I was pulling for Colborne. Burke's not an idiot, he knows Joe is just a late bloomer and he got him for a song IMO.

It's great for big Joe going home and all, but it doesn't feel right in my gut. We'll see how this plays out, but Joe was never going to dislodge anyone out of the top 6 or even top 9.

I would have been a bit happier with a 2nd though.
 
pmrules said:
Mr. Leaf said:
To me, this really stings because it means Toronto ends up getting basically nothing for Kaberle.  :'(
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Boston wins again.......NOOOOOOOO!!!
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Kaberle proved since that he was basically worth nothing and he is not even in the league anymore. Trade was a wash.
 
Hold on a minute, many 3rd (potential 2nd round) picks have been great in the NHL. Let hope we pick up a future star with this pick. It just could happen.
 
Highlander said:
Hold on a minute, many 3rd (potential 2nd round) picks have been great in the NHL. Let hope we pick up a future star with this pick. It just could happen.
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Calgary isn't making the playoffs, so you bargain on a 4th rounder and they don't pan out the best if memory serves me.
 
That pick is probably ending up in the 4th round, 90-100 range. The Leafs have had some success with picks in that area in recent memory, like Frattin and Reimer.

Also a few other prospects like Leivo, Granberg and Holzer were drafted around there as well.

The odds don't favour getting a really good player, but we just have to keep faith that our scouting staff can make use of the pick.
 
I understand why the trade was made by this current management/coaching staff, but it again highlights why I'm not a big fan of those making the decisions right now. The Leafs traded him because A) they don't have enough cap space to carry a 23rd or even 22nd roster player and B) because they would rather have McLaren and Orr on the roster instead of him. Both of those reasons are pretty embarrassing if you ask me.

Colborne would have been a perfect 12/13/14th forward right now. He re-signed to a contract that was considerably less than what his qualifying offer would have been because a lower cap his would have meant a better chance of cracking the NHL roster. It was a very shrewd moved by he and his agent. In the end it didn't help but he did get a trade to his hometown so I'm sure he's not really complaining. Aside from his cheap contract, he's also the type of player who can fill in on pretty much any line in the NHL. Obviously, he would be less successful on the 1st or 2nd lines at the moment than he would be on the 3rd or 4th, but he had a lot more versatility than most spare forwards would have.

With the signing of Raymond it meant that any chance he had on the 3rd line was gone and with Carlyle's intention to play McLaren and Orr on the 4th line it meant best case scenario Colborne was stuck in the pressbox to start the season. Like I said, there was much worse players than Colborne to have as your 13th forward. But an injury to McLaren and a suspension to Clarkson meant that there were two openings that could be grabbed. While I fully admit that Colborne didn't exactly stand out during preseason, aside from their ability to drop the gloves I don't really think Ashton, Devane, Broll, or Bodie did either. But alas they are the guys that the Leafs will chose from to fill up their roster. Not the guy with more skill and potential than possibly all four of those players put together.

But I get it, from this organizations point of view Colborne was either going on waivers or had to be traded. I said before I would have liked to see Colborne moved with Liles in order to gain some cap space at least, but it's looking like Liles' contract is pretty much unmovable at this point. Another option would have been to move Colborne for a similar player, but that similar player likely wouldn't have had a spot on this team either. So a draft pick was the only way to go and you probably weren't getting much more than a 4th.

 
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